Richie had been begging him to take him to see it. So he had busted out his old piggy bank and used his "emergency" funds (because if there ever was a real emergency $23.14 wouldn't really cover it) in order to buy tickets and a bag of popcorn. The candy in concessions was way too expensive so they snuck in some Butterfingers in Richie's green bookbag. (It was the closest to a TMNT bookbag they could afford, and he had cut out a stencil of the logo from some old cloth and sewn it on so that he could pretend it was a real TMNT bookbag.) But popcorn he could not skimp on. There was something about the smell of freshmade popcorn dripping with butter that could not be replaced by the kettle corn his mother made on the stove. So he splurged a little, if you could say buying a bag of popcorn for your kid brother was splurging. And the look of joy on Richie's face made the $8 price of admission worth it.
From the beginning, Richie had been enthralled. The costumes, the voices, the ninja fighting all had Richie smiling and laughing. But Danny felt the desire to cover his ears every time Rafael said the word "damn." (This was supposed to be a kids' movie, wasn't it? He counted it at least four times. He was tempted to write a letter of complaint to the producers.) And he took an immediate dislike to the redhead kid named Danny because he was a punk. (Stealing stuff just because his dad didn't spend his every waking moment with him? At least he had a father.) Even so, he found himself enjoying the movie, too. Between his shift at the restaurant down the road, school, and baseball practice he usually didn't get a chance to watch many cartoons, but occasionally he would watch the Saturday morning lineup with Richie, and he thought the Turtles were funny. There was something magical about seeing the cartoon brought to life. The puppeteering and animatronics looked realistic, and the film was surprisingly dark and gritty. And the part about lost boys looking for a place to belong really hit close to home. Before he knew it he could feel his throat tightening and an embarrassing stinging in his eyes when he heard the rat say "All fathers love their sons." He wanted to get up and yell at the screen, "Yeah, right! That's a bunch of bull shit. If that were true, then I wouldn't be the one taking my brother to this stupid movie! My dad would be! But he's not! Instead he's off God knows where, and I'm left here picking up the slack!"
But he didn't say that. Instead he looked at his brother who was staring at the screen with a puzzled look on his face, as if he were trying to figure out something really difficult.
After that moment, he couldn't really enjoy the film anymore. Everything about the miraculous reunion between Splinter and his sons felt cliché and unreal. If this were real life, he thought bitterly, those turtles would have had to fend for themselves while their drunk rat of a dad spent all the money their mother earned on gin, and the Shredder would have pounded their faces into the pavement for learning dance instead of karate. But then the movie was over and Danny put on a game face and asked Richie all of the standard post movie watching questions as they walked back home.
"So what did you think about the movie?"
"It was awesome!" Richie enthusiastically exclaimed.
"Oh, yeah? So who was your favorite character?"
"I really liked Donatello."
"You did? Why is that?"
"Because purple is my favorite color."
"Purple? Really? That's the reason why you like Donatello?"
"Yup. Because it's pretty."
"Well, I guess that's as good a reason as any."
"Do you think Ma will let me get a stick like Donatello's?"
"I don't know. I think she's got her heart set on putting you in dance class. She hopes you will go on to be a primo ballerino in my stead."
"I'd rather take karate."
"I know, buddy. I'll tell you what, I'll try to get her to let you take karate as long as you promise to stop jumping off of things like a ninja."
"But how can I be a ninja if I don't practice my sneak attack?" he asked in all seriousness.
"There are plenty of ways to be a ninja that don't involve giving your mother a heart attack when coming home after a long day at work."
"Okay. I promise no more karate jumping off the staircase."
"Good boy."
"Hey, Danny?"
"Yes, Rich?"
"Do you think our dad got kidnapped by the Foot Clan, and that's why we never see him?"
Danny was completely taken off guard by his question, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. But he should have known that if he had been affected by that scene in the movie, Richie had been too. Richie was sensitive like that. Danny crouched and then looked down at his brother. "What makes you think that?"
"Well, Splinter said 'All fathers love their sons.' So I figured if our dad really loves us, then the only reason he would stay away was if he had been kidnapped."
Danny swallowed hard. "You do realize this was just a movie right? There is no such thing as walking, talking turtles, or rats?"
"Yeah, I guess you're right. But it just made sense. Why else wouldn't our dad be here?"
Why else, indeed, Danny thought ruefully to himself. "I'm sorry, kiddo. Real life just doesn't work out that way. But maybe you're right. There could be a really good reason why he's not here. But I guess we'll never know."
"It's okay, Danny. I don't mind that our dad isn't here."
"You don't? Why not?"
"Because I have you. You're the best big brother a little brother could hope for!"
Danny felt that embarrassing tightness in his throat again and his eyes suddenly began to itch with unshed tears. "You're all right, too, kid." Then he stooped down to hug him. "I love you, Richie. Never forget that."
"I love you, too, Danny." When Richie wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek, Danny felt the ache in his heart ease a little. He would always feel a hole in his heart where his dad should have been, but at least the guy had given him something, and he vowed he would make up for everything his father couldn't, wouldn't, or didn't want to do. Even though he was only sixteen years old he was going to be the best father Richie could ever want or hope for.
A/N: Since the new TNMT movie has just come out, I was feeling nostalgic for the old movies and decided to watch them, and I was struck by how angsty the first one was and how I think the sadness in it affected me as a young child, so I remember not liking it as much as the second one. But then I actually almost teared up in that scene with Splinter and Danny (the ginger kid not the short Italian one from Staten Island) and then I wondered if Danny would have watched it, and I thought he might have been too old to enjoy the Turtles, but then I wondered if Richie might have wanted to see the movie, so I IMDBed the actor and it turns out he's the same age as me, and I was a Turtles fan, so I think Richie would have been one, too, and therefore begged Danny to take him to see it. And thus a story was born. Please let me know what you think!